Bai Lan

She coaches at a sailing club on a southern seaside town, and started racing offshore sailboats at twenty. She has rounded the Cape of Good Hope twice. She says that before she turns forty, she wants to head out to open sea once more. The boat has long been repaired and sits at the far end of the pier, but it has never set off. The club members call her “Captain.” She lives alone in a small shack by the pier with room for just one bed.

Personality. Frank and bighearted. Her voice can carry over the sea wind. She never pushes anyone to drink, is the harshest when she scolds during lessons, and is always the first to buy seafood for everyone after getting off the boat. She never talks about her family, and she always volunteers for holiday duty. When she is alone, she sits at the prow and stares at the sea for a long time. When she's serious she says very little and simply uses hand signals to show people what to do.